The Johannesburg Art Scene from the 60's to the 90's
Gallery 101 Johannesburg
Three galleries in one city - Rand Central, Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre, Hollard Street
History of the Gallery 101 Group, Johannesburg, 1961-1973
Gallery 101 Rand Central
Mme. Fernande Marie-Louise Haenggi (1904-2000) emigrated from Switzerland to South Africa in 1954. Between 1959 and 1961 she was one of three partners in the Queens Hall Art Gallery, Johannesburg (her partners being Rosa Lipschitz, later known as Rosa Lipworth, and Frankie Rubenstein).
In Johannesburg's then prime commercial city centre, Cyril Hofman had just completed his new multi-storied building Rand Central at 165 Jeppe Street, off Eloff Street, long before regional shopping centres had been built.
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On 5th April, 1961, Gallery 101 opened their doors on the first floor of Rand Central, in room 101 and 103. Adjoining its premises was the Head Office of the Progressive Federal Party with constant to and fro by all PFP leaders. On the ground floor was the Chesa Coffee Bar, well-frequented by artists, critics and passers-by; next to it Percy Tucker had just started his Computicket show services.
The first three equal partners of Gallery 101 were Mme. Fernande ML Haenggi, her eldest son Fernand F. Haenggi, and Heidi Güttinger, a silent partner who by the end of 1961 was paid out.
By the end of 1962, the first floor premises were extended to room 105.
The gallery activities expanded at such a rate that by September 1965 a ground floor and basement gallery were added, designed by Lionel Crawford, as well as a boutique facing the arcade, presenting specifically fine crafts, such as ceramics by Esias Bosch, Tim Morris and Andrew Walford, gold jewellery by H Peter Cullman, silver and other jewellery by Margaret Richardson, Tessa Fleischer, Eone de Wet, Renée le Roux, Pauline Hurwitz, Zeca Mealha, batiks by Louis Steyn, articles in mohair and karakul from the Transkei Hilmond Weavers and others, as well as fine paintings and graphics by artists from South Africa and Moçambique.
Fernand F. Haenggi, who until now had only been involved part-time in running the gallery's administration and finances and doing related work, such as calling on artists around the country, became as from 1st January, 1966 fully involved in all gallery aspects, moving out of his merchant banking environment.
In February, 1969, Gallery 101 extended their premises on the first floor to rooms 106 and 107, bringing the total space covered on the first floor alone to 2500 sq. feet. In addition, there was a large storage and framing department on the second floor, as well as administrative offices.
This could not have been done without the great support received from the staff, who included in senior positions and at various times Joyce Fourie and Mattie Koz, Polly Leibbrandt and Stanislawa Skolimovska. Other staff in the 3 branches during that period that come to mind include Bertie du Plooy, Sheila Baxter, Chris Crake, Paul Poppe, Frank Horley, Steffanie Vögele, Mrs Jacobson, Ms Bloom, Mme. Lüthi, Vanessa Cooke, Beverley P., Moses Bee, Mark Mambo and Green Kgope.
In addition, during this period, Michael L. Sims and later Rex B. Grey took an interest in Gallery 101 and joined as co-directors and shareholders.
1970 saw the opening of the Hyde Park and Hollard Street branches of Gallery 101, necessitated by changing habits of the gallery's main clientèle due inter alia to the development of suburban shopping centres, such as the Hyde Park Corner Centre and developments in Rosebank and Sandton to the north of the Johannesburg city centre.
The list of artists, painters and sculptors, graphic artists, ceramic artists, jewellers and others handled by Gallery 101 includes nearly every important artist in South Africa.
Images of Gallery 101 Rand Central, 165 Jeppe Street, Johannesburg, and staff
Please click on images for better view and details!
5th April, 1961 - opening exhibition
1966 - extensions on first floor - ill. in "Artlook" Johannesburg, March 1969, p. 6
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1966 - ground floor extensions
1966 - basement extensions
1969 - Joyce Fourie - main gallery custodian
Gallery 101 Hyde Park
Johannesburg city centre was becoming less attractive in many respects, potential clients preferred to do business in the North, thus the directors of Gallery 101 decided to open a branch in the new spacious Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre, on the upper floor over 3 large inter-leading spaces. This branch operated as Gallery 101 Hyde Park from 3rd March, 1970 until end of July, 1972, after which it became Gallery 21.
Gallery 101 Hollard Street
The new high-rise building of the Standard Bank's Head Office next to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange - then situated at Hollard Street - was designed by Prof. H. Hentrich from Düsseldorf in collaboration with Hans Bergs from Johannesburg. It was an ideal venue to open a branch to cater for the generally more conservative taste of stockbrokers and people in the financial world. With a booming stock exchange, those clients found it more and more difficult to get to Gallery 101's main gallery at Rand Central, only 20 minutes away! This branch operated as Gallery 101 Hollard Street from 21st May, 1970 to the end of 1973.
Conclusion
Was it justified to run three branches of a gallery business in the same city? Considering that at that time there were more than 3.5 million people living in Greater Johannesburg, and that it was the commercial centre of South Africa with a corresponding flow of potential clients from abroad, one could have thought it justified.
However, the tremendous stress on the directors and management of the Gallery 101 Group resulting from various fundamental changes in Johannesburg and the ensuing disagreements about exhibition policy as well as administrative bottlenecks resulted in one of the gallery's then directors, Rex B. Grey, acquiring Fernand F. Haenggi's interest in the group, who in turn took over the Hyde Park Corner premises and carried on as Gallery 21 for his own account, as from 1st August, 1972 and at various addresses, until the end of 1993.
Likewise, Mme. Fernande ML Haenggi left the Gallery 101 Group a year later and took over the Hollard Street Branch for her own account (Madame Haenggi Gallery), until she in turn disposed of it by the end of March, 1977, returning to Switzerland by 1982.
Gallery 101 had thus operated under the original management as one of Johannesburg's leading galleries, from 1961 till 1973.
The remaining Rand Central gallery was now owned by Rex B Grey, a well-known U.S. businessman and collector, and was managed by Gia Lindstam until its final closure on 31st March, 1977.
Gia Lindstam and Mme Haenggi in 1973.
Further information available from the archives held in Basel
Should you require any further details or photographs about artists who exhibited at Gallery 101 on solo or group shows at Gallery 101, please contact us and we shall be happy to assist where possible (info at pelmama.org).
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